December 04, 2013

Wednesday Briefs: Hope #10

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Wednesday Briefs, where authors post free fiction of 1000 words or
less each week.

Hope #10

Somehow Hope wiggled his way not only under my
sweater but under my shirt as well, scratching my skin in his frenzy
to get closer to me. I hissed and sputtered while I did my best to
allow him to crawl up on my chest without ripping my skin open. When
he finally settled, we were both panting.

“It's okay, boy, it's okay,” I repeated over and over again. Hope
didn't just tremble, he shook. In a way someone only did when truly
terrified. “Did I scare you with my comment about bringing you back
to your owner?”

Hope shoved his nose through the head-opening of my sweater, which
made breathing a challenge. Gently, I nudged him back under my
sweater and he whimpered. Beads of sweat trickled down my spine and I
shivered. What the hell was going on? This wasn't a normal stray
puppy.

“Do you even have an owner?” I asked.

Hope rubbed his head along my chest and even went so far as to swipe
his tongue along a nipple. I gasped and pushed his head away. “Don't
do that. It's gross.”

Of course that remark elicited another whimper
from Hope. Go me! I was a huge success in hurting a small German
Shepherd puppy. I rubbed a hand over my eyes then said, “Come on
out of there, please. It's weird to talk to you as if you could
understand me, but it's even weirder to do so without looking at
you.”

Hope expelled a breath but dove out from under my
shirt and sweater. He placed himself between my legs, peering at me
expectantly. Grimacing, I lifted my clothes to inspect my chest.
Scratches showed on my chest. Some of them had broken the skin and
oozed thin rivulets of blood.

“Oh, great,” I muttered.

Hope hunched his shoulders and sniffled. He was the poster boy for
misery with his flopped ears and sad eyes. How could I be mad at him?
He just didn't want to be separated from me. And neither did I. He
simply showed his feelings more openly than I did.

I patted his head, smiling when he pushed it into my palm. “I'll
have to wipe the blood off. You want to come with me to the
bathroom?”

Hope thumped his tail on the floor before he bounced to his feet and
stormed away. Blinking, I rose and followed him. Indeed, I found him
in the bathroom, sitting on the dark blue mat, waiting for me.

“It's creepy how much you understand. Really creepy,” I mumbled.

Hope sneezed, then stretched out on his belly with his head resting
on his forepaws. His eyes remained trained on me, though.

I did a quick job of cleaning the scratches, but not without much
hissing and muttering. I curbed my expletives when Hope tucked his
tail between his hind legs, whimpering softly.

“It's not that bad,” I assured him. “I'm just a big baby. Shane
hated when I cut myself because sometimes I'd faint.”

Embarrassment brought heat to my cheeks. I threw the cotton ball into
a bin and tucked my shirt into my jeans. “I'm honestly not such a
delicate flower. It's just that I can't see my own blood. I've never
fainted when anyone else got hurt. Not even when Shane got this
really deep cut from the hedge trimmer.”

I shuddered. There had been blood everywhere and Shane had been
chalky white and lost consciousness. One of the worst things I've
ever experienced. Right after losing Shane. My throat closed up and I
squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.

I didn't hear when Hope got up but at one point I realized he was
licking my hand. I opened my eyes and cleared my throat. My eyes
still burned but I forced a smile on my face. “Come on, let's find
out who you wanted me to call. It'd be so much easier if you could
talk.”

Hope cocked his head to the side, then he barked.
He seemed to be laughing as he whizzed out of the bathroom. Seconds
later, a loud crash resounded from the living room.

I'm so loving this! I've never been a big fan of "animal" or shapeshifter stroes and you've totally converted me. I'm loving this little german shepard. Will you post the story in full eventually? Or if we email you would you send the full story when you are done? I'd love to reread this as a complete story.